WASHINGTON — George Papadopoulos, taken by surprise by FBI agents at an airport last summer, now tweets smiling beach selfies with a Mykonos hashtag. Rick Gates, for weeks on home confinement with electronic monitoring, gets rapid approval for a family vacation and shaves down his potential prison time. Michael Flynn, once targeted in a grand jury investigation, travels cross-country to stump for a California congressional candidate and books a New York speaking event. The message is unmistakable: It pays to cooperate with the government. That’s an age-old truism in any criminal investigation, but it’s especially notable in a case as pressing and as high profile as special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, where deals afforded to cooperators have raised speculation about incriminating information they’re providing. The perks of cooperation have manifested themselves in freer travel, lenient punishment prospects and even public comments by defendants … [Read more...] about Robert Mueller’s Russia probe shows it pays to cooperate
Russia probe
Perks await those who cooperate with Mueller’s Russia probe
Eric Tucker, Associated Press Updated 3:06 pm, Thursday, April 5, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Susan Walsh, AP Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2017, file photo, former national security adviser Michael Flynn for President Donald Trump leaves federal court in Washington. Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation is illustrating an age-old truism: It pays to cooperate with the government. The few people who so have cooperated with the special counsel’s office have enjoyed perks including the prospect of reduced prison sentences. Flynn flies cross-country to stump for a California congressional candidate and books a speaking event in New … [Read more...] about Perks await those who cooperate with Mueller’s Russia probe
Lawyer sentenced to 30 days for lying in Russia probe
A federal judge sentenced Alex van der Zwaan, an attorney, to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine on Tuesday for lying to federal investigators in the Russia probe, making him the first defendant in the special counsel case to face sentencing.Van der Zwaan pleaded guilty in February to lying about his conversations with Rick Gates, who was Donald Trump’s deputy campaign chairman in 2016, and an unnamed person who prosecutors say has ties to Russian intelligence.“This was more than a mistake,” U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said as she rejected defense lawyers’ pleas to keep Van der Zwaan out of prison. “This was more than a lapse or a misguided moment.”She said Van der Zwaan appeared to be a “smart and up-and-coming young man,” but said his expressions of remorse “were somewhat muted, to say the least.”Earlier, Van der Zwaan had told the judge: “What I did was wrong. I apologize to the court for my … [Read more...] about Lawyer sentenced to 30 days for lying in Russia probe
Devin Nunes Demands the FBI Document that Started the Trump-Russia Probe
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) is demanding that the Justice Department hand over an unredacted version of the document it used to launch the Trump-Russia probe in July 2016. In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday, Nunes directed them to give the document, known as an electronic communication or EC, and other requested documents by next Wednesday.He also threatened legal action: “Be advised that failure to comply in a satisfactory manner will result in the Committee pursuing all appropriate legal remedies, including seeking civil enforcement of the August 24 subpoenas in federal district court.” Nunes, in seeking to find out exactly what sparked the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign and the extent the infamous Clinton-funded dossier played a role, has sought the EC from the FBI since last August. He subpoenaed for the EC on August 24, 2017. He said the committee was given … [Read more...] about Devin Nunes Demands the FBI Document that Started the Trump-Russia Probe
Mueller’s Russia probe shows it pays to cooperate
Eric Tucker, Associated Press Updated 12:31 pm, Thursday, April 5, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Susan Walsh, AP Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2017, file photo, former national security adviser Michael Flynn for President Donald Trump leaves federal court in Washington. Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation is illustrating an age-old truism: It pays to cooperate with the government. The few people who so have cooperated with the special counsel’s office have enjoyed perks including the prospect of reduced prison sentences. Flynn flies cross-country to stump for a California congressional candidate and books a speaking event in New … [Read more...] about Mueller’s Russia probe shows it pays to cooperate